West Midlands Mayor backs celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign to ban junk food ads

The Mayor of the West Midlands has thrown his support behind celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign to eliminate junk food advertising on public transport.

Richard Parker, along with eight other mayors from across the country, has endorsed the ‘AdEnough’ campaign, which aims to curb such marketing and enhance children’s health.

Mr Oliver highlighted that youngsters are being ‘bombarded with unhealthy messaging around food’ due to outdoor advertising.

The Mayors have come together with a pledge to help stop children being exposed to harmful junk food advertising on public transport. The commitment means any Mayor introducing bus franchising powers will ban the adverts, with the same ban introduced on Metro systems, over the coming years.

Mr Parker stated: “I want the West Midlands to be a region that gives our young people the best start in life. Childhood obesity is an issue that impacts on all our communities.

“Our children’s health is critical and already we follow government guidelines for advertising on our metro and bus stops. But I want to see if we can go further, and explore other ways in which children in our region can be helped to make healthier choices.

“It’s important to set young people up for the very best futures.”

Mr Oliver said: “It’s so brilliant to see the mayors stepping up, committing to this bold initiative and banning junk-food ads in their public spaces.

“It’s a much-needed and vital step towards creating healthier, happier communities across the UK, where our kids aren’t constantly bombarded with unhealthy messaging around food.

“Of course, there’s still a long way to go, but this is a great start. When it comes to protecting our children, we’ve all had AdEnough.”

Katharine Jenner, Director of Obesity Health Alliance, commented: “Across the country, there is a growing movement of local authorities taking a stand for child health. Every day, we see junk food ads everywhere we look – on billboards, bus stops, even in our schools. It’s not fair, and it’s affecting our health.

“Children exposed to junk food adverts are more likely to choose unhealthy foods. This evidence-based policy is an important move to reduce the risk of diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes in young people.

“We hope this powerful example from the Mayors will inspire both councils and our national government to follow suit and take this important step to protect child health.”

Anna Taylor, Chief Executive, Food Foundation, added:

“Parents and kids are sick of advertising which tricks them into buying things which are harmful to their health. These mayors have realised this has to stop and are using their powers to make it happen. This is what leadership looks like in delivering a healthier generation of children.”

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